The Cheap Geek

Contents

I've made other purchases, but some of them are holiday presents, so I can't tell you about them until after gift-giving time. But what I will do with this column is let you know when I come across more offers that are too good to pass up. Like this one:

Techbargains reports that OneCall.com has the tiny Casio EX-S500 digital camera for $286.79. This is actually a camera that I own and love. I bought it when it first came out. At the time, everyone was selling it for $399. I got it for $335. This is a wonderful camera. It's so small that I have it with me all the time. Its 5 megapixel images are good enough. If I need better, I'll lug out my Rebel (and shortly, my Rebel XT!) But I'd rather not lug. (Remember, the camera that you have with you always takes better pictures than the camera that you left behind.) I can also fit several minutes of MPEG4 movies on the camera. And Casio has a dedicated button for shooting videos so you don't have to fumble with a mode dial to switch between stills and movies. (If you're not shooting video with your digital camera these days, you're really missing out.) Casio is really ahead of the crowd in terms of intelligent button layout and UI.

Casio is pushing this camera hard for the holiday season and has already announced a six megapixel version (EX-S600) due out in 2006. I've seen the EX-S500 as low as $310 in Costco, the most consumer friendly store I've ever been in. Yesterday, Techbargains noted that OneCall has the camera for $286.79. That's a steal and the site says the price is good until this Saturday, December 10! Get a big memory card with it. I recommend a 1 GB SD card. You can find them for about $50 to $60 these days.

By the way, looking for a great case for the EX-S500? I've tried a couple of very nice cases by Casio that you can get for about $20 to $30, but both of them seemed to double the size of the camera, making it big enough that I'd have to think twice before putting the camera in my pocket. Recently, however, I was in Target and came across a pack of three Little Miss Matched camera/MP3 player socks for $10. They're the perfect size for the camera. They don't provide nearly the protection of the Casio cases, but they're better than nothing. The sock designs are a bit feminine but they stay in my pocket, so it's not a big deal.

I'll continue to comb the bargain sites and let you know when I find exceptional values. Remember, when you see one, you're going to have to move quickly. And if you come across great deals on your own, please email me at cheapgeek@ziffdavis.com.